Nefertiti and the Lost Dynasty

Interesting days to watch some tv! That is if you like this stuff. See a nice 5 minute preview here.

It is one of Egypt's enduring mysteries. What happened to Nefertiti and her husband, Akhenaten — the radical king, and likely father of King Tut? In a dark and mysterious tomb located in the Valley of the Kings, there is a small chamber with two mummies without sarcophagi or wrappings. At times, both have been identified as Queen Nefertiti by scholars, filmmakers and historians. But the evidence has been circumstantial at best.

Now, for the first time, National Geographic Channel (NGC) and Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, use a CT scan machine that can go inside these two mummies to get scientific evidence that will establish whether either could be Nefertiti — and if not, who they may be. On Monday, July 16 [2007], at 9 p.m. ET/PT, NGC presents a one-hour special, "Nefertiti and the Lost Dynasty," that documents the high-tech forensic investigation conducted by an international team dedicated to resolving the fate of the famed queen.

Some ancient Egyptian history reads like a soap opera. In the city of Amarna, there lived Egypt's most famous royal spouse, Nefertiti, and her beloved husband, Akhenaten, the pharaoh. They were revolutionary leaders, reinventing Egyptian religion and building a new capital city to honour the sun god. Also present at this time were Akhenaten's secondary wife, Kiya, who many scholars believe was the mother of King Tut, as well as Akhenaten's mother, the powerful Queen Tiye. It was a tangled set of relationships that would result in the birth of the legendary King Tut and the eventual disappearance of all the other key players. What happened to members of Tut's royal family, the lost dynasty of Amarna? ...

Don't forget that the Hatshepsut programme is also on Discovery Channel the night before. No news on non-US showing dates.